War of a Moment, Love of a Lifetime
by Cappucinno
Summary: Zelink Link leaves his fiancee, Malon, and WOAHHH NELLY, DON'T LOOK AT THIS ONE. UNDERGOING MAJOR REVISION. CHECK BACK LATER.
1. Leaving Malon

**War of a Moment, Love of a Lifetime**

Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not, and will never own the characters or the company of the Zelda series.

* * *

He could hardly remember the girl that Malon was talking about. Well actually, ranting about. He could remember blonde hair, aqua eyes, and a voice like ic_e_. Link shuddered involuntarily. 

She wasn't at all unattractive, she just seemed so inhuman. It wasn't right. Sure, she was rumored to be the loveliest princess Hyrule had seen since the Princess Zelda of legends, but that didn't mean that she wasn't terrifying.

The chick was pretty damn scary.

"Link? Are you even listening to me? There you go again, daydreaming about the Princess Zelda. I told you that we had to share everything with each…" Malon kept going, apparently oblivious to the fact that Link wasn't really paying attention anymore. The redhead had a habit of working herself up about nothing, so Link was a-okay with conveniently ignoring her dialogues.

So, the blonde haired boy tuned the redhead's words out of his mind, trying to remember exactly why she was yelling at him. He couldn't recall his latest capital offense. Though the one before this one was… hm. What had it been anyways?

As Link paused to think it over, Malon was just finishing up her little speech, 95 of which Link had managed to block out with his own inner musings.

"…having an affair with the Princess!" Link was jerked out of his thoughts by this last statement and look of bewilderment spread across his face.

"What on earth are you talking about, Malon?" Link questioned, his lips curling upwards into an unbelieving smile.

"Don't play innocent with me! I've heard what they say about you and... _her_! But how could you even do this to me?" Malon was back on her soapbox, ranting and raving like there was no tomorrow, and managing to conjure up an array of tears that even the best actors would be proud of. "I mean… I _just_ accepted your proposal last week and now you off and offer the princess your hand in marriage!"

Link rolled his eyes and ruffled his fiancée's hair. "Malon, you're such a drama queen. I've been here all week. How could I possibly have asked Princess-What's-Her-Face-"

"Zelda." Malon interrupted, a little indignantly at the ignorance of her fiancé-in-question.

"-Zelda to marry me? Honestly, you girls are so weird." Link said rather sourly, though there was a hint of jest in his voice that let Malon know he wasn't actually upset. In fact, if the look in his eyes was anything to go by, he was pretty damn amused by the whole situation.

" W-Well.. uh. You could have sent our messenger out with a note." Malon offered a little pathetically, a sheepish smile on her face as she gestured out the window at their esteemed "messenger".

Link followed her motion and laughed outright, wrapping his arms around Malon's waist and resting his chin on her head. "You mean the chicken?" He asked, amusement making his voice lilt just the slightest bit.

It was that boyish tone, among other things, that had made Malon accept his proposal. They were both quite young, and they'd both received a lot of heartache from the townspeople.

_'Malon, you've only just reached seventeen, perhaps you should wait a while?' _

_'Link m'boy, you're about as wild and untamed as the wind itself, don't be tyin' yerself down at nineteen. Live a little, experience the world, and when yer done, come back and marry yerself a good girl." _

_"Link, Malon's a sensitive girl and… I'm just not sure I want you around her." _

_"Link, you're too young to be getting married. Why, a handsome lad like you could have any girl in whole wide world." _

_"Malon, he'll only break your heart. He's too young to really mean it."_

But they hadn't listened. Their love was the love that everyone else could only hope to acquire, pure and strong and unadulterated. They both knew that they would withstand the test of time, and prove their friends wrong.

Malon pushed away from Link and put her hands on her hips in mock fury. "You know as well as I do that the stupid thing can run REALLY fast. Don't you remember when it chased Epona around?"

"Yes, but then I also remember that the chicken ran into the concrete wall that Epona jumped over. La- horses are more intelligent than chickens." Link said, quickly amending his words at the last minute. Malon hated it when he referred his mare, Epona, as a 'Lady'. Mostly because Link had never called Malon anything above 'pretty little maid'.

Malon 'hmphed' and crossed her arms in what appeared to be disdain. Still playing mad at Link for rumors that she knew as well as he did weren't true. But a girl couldn't help but be insecure once in while, especially when a boy like Link was in the picture.

"Malon?" Link asked, curling an arm around her waist once more. Malon sighed contentedly and leaned into him, resting her head on his chest and letting her eyes flutter shut.

"Mmm?"

"Where did you get the idea that I asked Zelda to marry me?" Link spoke into Malon's hair, and she could feel the smile on his lips. "You know as I did that the girl's frickin' scary. You remember that time when she called me in for story time don't you?"

"Well you know the marketplace ru-" Malon said offhandedly, too distracted by Link's warmth to really be focusing. But her moment of peace was interrupted by a frantic banging on the door. "Oh! What now?"

Link looked over at the door and frowned briefly, placing a quick kiss on Malon's head as he released her and walked over to the door. No sooner had he opened the door than a robed figure half-fell half-walked in.

Link and Malon exchanged confused glances.

Link glanced over at the black-robed figure and caught of glimpse or telltale trouble.

* * *

The door to Link and Malon's bedroom swung shut. 

"No reason for me to believe that you've been up to things with Princess Zelda, huh?" Malon's voice was like daggers cutting Link's skin, and her hands were on her hips once more.

"Aww, c'mon Mal. I didn't have anymore warning than you… How was I supposed to know that she rode across all of Hyrule to personally send me a message?" Link's voice was pleading, even as Malon's anger simmered down and her expression morphed from suspicious to loving.

"Yeah right… You better come back soon. I've still got a score to settle with you." Malon's voice softened again and she lightly punched his arm as he drew her in for a hug. Link grinned inwardly, she could never stay mad at him.

"I'll be back within the year, Mal." He kissed her lightly on the forehead, and ruffled her hair as he released her from his embrace.

Malon's eyes were downcast and with a last sad smile Link exited the room. Malon got the most awful feeling that perhaps that was the last time she'd see Link in a long time.

* * *

Mounting Epona, Link turned to watch the robed figure mount her white mare, and with a silent nod of greeting between the two, they set off. The two kept an even distance, unspoken but acknowledged and respected. 

They rode in complete silence through Hyrule Field, broken only by Link's fragmented attempts to alleviate the heaviness in the atmosphere. After a while, he stopped trying. It was some hour after they set off, when Zelda got down from her mare and swept the hood that covered her face backwards.

He was faced once more with her famed beauty, though it was no more human than she had been since the last time he'd seen her. Though he was two years her senior, there was something about her that made her seem infinitely older than a mere seventeen years old.

Link cast her a confused glance and followed her lead, dismounting Epona and landing with a gentle 'thud' in the worn out grass. "What is it?"

"Your Highness." Zelda stated, her voice devoid of any emotion as she turned those cold blue eyes upon him. Link did his best not the shudder at the sudden chill that crept up his spine.

"Excuse me?" Link looked at her and met that icy gaze with confusion swimming in his own darker eyes.

"You shall address me as 'Your Highness' or Princess Zelda, peasant." This time he was sure that he detected venom in her voice, but her eyes betrayed nothing. There was no way that the woman standing before him was human in any way shape or form.

"Yes m'am." Link replied hurriedly. The princess practically bristled with annoyance.

"Yes, your Highness." Link corrected, feeling more and more nervous by the second. Zelda paused for a moment, regarding him stoically and after a moment's pause she nodded with approval.

The only change in her stature was that she was now wringing her hands together, as if she were nervous about something. Though Link couldn't know for sure. He understood the figure before him no more than he understood the supernatural.

"You remember our last meeting correct?" She questioned.

"Perfectly, Princess Zelda." Link said dumbly.

How could he forget it? She'd called him in to tell him a story about some hero named Link and the Princess Zelda of old uniting to save the world, and said something about him potentially being the hero of this generation- though she apparently hoped not- and that her father was ill and something about courage and tri-tip.

Or was that triforce?

"Then you remember, when I said that my father was soon to die." The way she posed it, it wasn't a question at all, it was a statement. Link wasn't even sure why she bothered to pause and let him speak.

"Yes, Your Highness." Link nodded swiftly.

"And I also told you about the old tales of a hero and my ancestor Zelda? And how the princess Zelda always ascended the throne and ruled by herself until she was required to … conjure an heir?" Zelda's voice picked up speed as it went along, though it gained no more semblance of a tone that it had before.

"Yeah, I remember. What of it?" Link's mind was abuzz with questions as to why she was telling him this now and he placed a hand on his forehead to clear his thoughts. If Zelda noticed his lapse in formality, she didn't bother correcting it.

" My father has just passed away." Zelda said slowly, and Link was sure that beneath the gloves, her knuckles were white.

"You have my condolence- I'm not going to marry to you and have wild monkey sex with you." Link cut off his previous statement with a slight scowl and put his hands on his hips. "I'm already en-"

Zelda nearly choked after Link's comment. "I should hope not!" She was flustered. Perhaps she was human after all. "No, I would not call upon you for something as trivial as that. You have been, for some reason I don't know, selected to rule Hyrule until, or even if, I marry."

"Rule Hyrule?" Link asked.

"Unofrtunately." Zelda's reply was a strangled sigh, and this time Link was certain that he'd detected exasperation in that formerly toneless voice.

"Sweet." Link grinned.

Zelda scowled. "It's not something to be taken lightly."

She was definitely human.

"I know exactly what my first command will be." Link's grin grew wider, if it were possible and he placed his hands on his hips and leaned forward in a mischievous manner.

"And that would be?" Zelda actually appeared to be curious for a moment, if not wary of his stance.

"From now on you will address me as Your Royal Majesty or Fair King Link." Link's grin grew wider still as the Princess began to pale.

"Excuse me?" Zelda's face was blank to her infinite credit.

"I'm your King, my power is greater than yours, and therefore I refuse to recognize you as anything above me." Link's grin vanished and he nodded as if he were someone wise and sagely. If Zelda were Malon he was sure he would've been facing the wrath of the messenger chicken by now.

"Do you jest?" Zelda's face looked even more vacuous than before.

"Ah-ah-ah. Correction: Do you jest, Your Royal Majesty?" Link grinned as he finally managed to get a rise out of the controlled Princess. When she spoke her voice was very nearly a snarl.

"You've got a long way to go, _Lord Duncecap_."

* * *

**A/N**: Did you enjoy this chapter? Let me know with your reviews! I'm sorry to say that both _Life on the High Seas_ and _Uncharted Journeys_ have been discontinued because of a lack of interest in them. I hope you like this story better, until next time. 

Cappucinno


	2. Spoons, Forks, and Knives Oh my!

**War of a Moment, Love of a Lifetime**

Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not, and will never own the characters or the company of the Zelda series.

* * *

Link scowled as he sat on a bench in the castle gardens. For some reason or another Zelda had ordered him out of the castle. The whole time she had been mumbling something manners, finery, and new clothes. Tch. Typical girl. She hadn't seemed to have gotten over his little stunt that he'd pulled the previous day.

"Lord Duncecap?" the voice was cold with no tone whatsoever- like ice. Link made a face and glanced over at the blonde princess. Perhaps it hadn't been such a great idea to try and get on her nerves the first day. He probably should've put it off until the second day at the very least.

"Yes?" He responded.

"Yes, Princess." Zelda prompted.

"Sure, whatever." Link shrugged, pleased to see her face lose just the slightest bit of it's composed mask.

"Your highness." Zelda raised her brows as if she were conversing with a young child.

"Sure, whatever- Princess." Link ground the words out, wishing for Malon to come and save him from the wrath of the Ice Queen. Which he'd brought upon himself, but that besides the point.

"Good enough. As I have pointed out to you before, your people skills need serious refinement, you need to use proper etiquette, and you must learn self defen-" Zelda began to lecture before being cut off by Link.

"I get to use a sword?" His voice was cheery once more.

"Verbal defense, my Lord. Royalty cannot just go off and clash swords with anyone." Zelda shook her head in a disbelieving manner, which he supposed was the closest he'd get her to being annoyed so early in the day. "Honestly, what are they teaching you peasants these days?"

Link couldn't help his sour expression. She said peasant as it were some contagious disease. Spoiled little brat. "Royals are heroes of sort, bravely leading battles, giving charity to those in need, and making public appearances to make peace with us 'peasants'- Princess. Their actions are in our best interests, and it their duty to rule our country fairly and justly."

Zelda let a laugh escape her and her eyes twinkled in amusement. "Is that truly what they educate you peasants with nowadays?"

"Umm… yeah?" Link offered, thrown for a loop with her friendly mirth. Perhaps there was hope for her yet.

Zelda's brief moment of humanity vanished and her brows drew together in what could have been a frown. "It's not true. Not a word of it. Bear in mind that you will not give a cent away or show your faces in a time of need or danger. Follow the example of those around you. Though they are cowards- every single one of them." A rant. She was definitely gaining some semblance of humanity under his guiding hand.

Sweet.

This time Link raised his brows up in mild shock and curiosity. "Oh, and what of you Princess Zelda?" He prodded, hoping to be rewarded with that laughter again, or maybe another human-like rant. Sadly, he received neither.

Zelda eyed him stonily. "You are to meet a woman, Impa, inside the dining hall. I recommend you leave now lest you be late, my Lord."

Link frowned again, a bit perplexed as she began to walk off, not bothering to spare him another glance as she vanished into the castle. He grumbled as he walked along and kicked a small stone with unnecessary force.

Tch. Girls. He'd never understand them.

God. He needed something constant at that moment. And directions. Where the hell was the dining hall supposed to be?

Where was Malon when you needed her?

* * *

Several hours after being lectured, slapped, and beaten over the head by Impa; Link saw Zelda again. And, like a typical girl, she was being unpredictable.

Well, maybe more vicious than unpredictable.

And she was wielding a vicious looking silver weapon in her hand.

And it was shiny. AND she was waving it around in his face.

"Do you see this?" Zelda asked, her voice no longer as cool and controlled as it once was. In fact, he would've thought it threatening if not for the fact that he'd yet to do anything wrong.

"Ummm… Yes?" Links expression became one of fear and perplexity, his eyes following every movement of the dangerous looking contraption she was holding.

"Yes, what?" Zelda prodded, nearly stabbing him with that vicious thing in her hand.

"Yes, highness." Link said quickly.

"Good. Identify it." Zelda said, retracting the object from his arm and holding it on display in front of him as if he were nothing more than a small child. Not much better than her previous chastising.

"Miniature pitchfork, highness." Link responded.

"Goo-" Zelda began to set the object down, but she stopped and looked at him oddly, lifting it once more for his scrutiny. "Once more."

Was there something wrong with his pronunciation? "Miniature pitchfork, highness." Link said, still confused. The princess dropped the miniature pitchfork.

"Miniature pitchfork? Oh, dear Nayru, no no no…." Zelda held back a groan of hopelessness and held her face in her hands.

"Is it a weapon?" Link inquired, hoping to prove that he wasn't completely hopeless. Seeing the Princess so thoroughly distressed was almost as bad as the Princess looking inhuman.

"It is called a FORK. You use it to eat." Zelda explained slowly, picking her head up and settling him with a blank stare. He could tell she was doing her best not to betray her regret at bringing him there. Too bad for her.

"Why would you possibly use a pitchfork to eat? Your hands work well enough." Link said, wondering if this was just some practical joke as he tapped the "fork" on the table rather roughly. "What do you do, hammer your food to smithereens?"

Zelda nearly gasped in horror.

"You shall be set up with an array of utensils." Zelda began, looking quite distracted as she surrounding Link with various deadly looking objects. "A meal will be given to you l and you shall display for me how you eat." How on earth did one manage to eat without utensils?

"But…why?" Link was still confused.

"Good god, Link. You must learn proper etiquette-at least the names and uses of utensils- if you plan to rule Hyrule." Zelda stated firmly. Link sighed. He didn't suppose that she could just revert back to being an Ice Queen. No, he just had to go and fish out the human Zelda. He could've kicked himself.

Link blinked in confusion. "I thought I just needed to be smart..."

"Etiquette at least makes you _look_ smart," Zelda growled. Yup, he definitely should've just left her alone from the get-go. Was she implying that he _wasn't_ smart? Brat.

However, Link complied, albeit unsurely, and began to eat.

Not halfway into the meal, Link was interrupted by Zelda squawking at him. He nearly dropped the utensil he was bringing to his lips in shock. Was that a Malon-like squawk coming from the reserved and collected Princess?

"ACK! What are you doing?" Yes, it certainly was.

"Huh?" Link blinked once more, this time in sheer ignorance. He'd managed to deduce that she had in fact squawked, but he hadn't quite managed to figure out why.

"You don't drink with a knife, idiot!" Zelda shouted.

Suddenly, Link was subjected to the easily provoked rage of royalty. For something as simple as putting his knife in his wine goblet. Honestly, who got mad about that? He hadn't even known the dangerous looking thing had been called a knife.

But for a moment, Link rejoiced. It was like Malon. Unintelligible scolding that he could drown out. Fantastic! Yet another sign that Zelda was human and therefore manageable.

Link yelped and drew back as he felt Zelda's gloved hand collide with his cheek. Hard. He lifted a hand to his cheek as he looked at the Princess opposite him in shock.

Never mind. She wasn't like Malon at all. Nor was she manageable.

"I'm not stupid. I know you aren't listening and I'm wasting my breath on you. You didn't hear a word I just said did you?"

"Huh?" Link was acting stupid, yet again. Was this… yelling? Simply amazing, not only did Zelda squawk, but now she yelled.

Zelda grabbed fistfuls of her own hair and tugged in frustration. "Sir. At least know this much..."

"Yeah?" Link prodded when she fell silent, undoubtedly questioning whether or not she'd have to slap him again to get his attention.

"If you must, you can just stick your knife in your shoe, so long as it's not your drink it should be fine. The fork you can ignore if you can't figure out how to use it. Most of them are basically for decoration anyways. In the presence of others if you MUST drink, you use your spoon to drink- got it?" Zelda explained, her tone going back to its familiar composed state.

* * *

Link was laughing hysterically and Zelda was looking like a child caught doing something bad. At first Link hadn't known what to think or do.

Impa had come up behind Zelda and whacked her on the head, hard, when she heard Zelda's little utensil survival guide advice.

"Silly girl. Haven't you paid attention to what I taught you? I'm not stupid. I know you probably weren't listening and I was probably wasting my breath on you. You probably didn't hear a word I just said did you?" And after that Zelda had been whacked yet again.

She was definitely manageable.

* * *

**A/N**: How do you like this story? Thank you for all the kind reviews, I love you all- you keep me going. Sorry for the lateness, school has kept me running in frantic circles. Review please, inspire me to keep writing. I'm lame; I feed off of praise and criticism. Until next time! 

Cappucinno


	3. Did She Call Me Link?

**War of a Moment, Love of a Lifetime**

Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not, and will never own the characters or the company of the Zelda series.

* * *

Link leaned against a wall, grinning ear to ear with the satisfaction of someone who had just managed to pull off a very clever, cunning, and dangerous feat. Pressing his ear against the wall he strained for a while until he heard exactly what he had been waiting for all morning. 

"IDIOT OF A KING! STUPID FARMBOY! GOOD FOR NOTHING-" The ranting and raving of a certain blonde haired princess was abruptly cut off by the sound of a pan whacking someone's head.

It was extremely satisfying to know that he, Link Kokiri, had successfully managed to morph the statue-esque Princess Zelda into a ranting, raving, extremely pissed off human girl. And it had only taken two weeks. He snickered slightly at the frantic noises coming from the room behind him and congratulated himself on a job well done.

"You let your guard down! AGAIN!" Another whack. "And you succumbed to exactly what he wanted!" Yet another whack. "I can't believe that as a seventeen year old you still scream and wail and throw fits when you wake up and your face is painted white."

And besides having proven his point, he was also providing himself with a good deal of entertainment. Ranting, raving, extremely pissed human Zelda was almost better than ranting, raving, extremely pissed farm-girl Malon.

"It's not coming off! I swear to the goddesses I'll KILL him. AUGH!"

Except Malon wasn't quite so threatening if he recalled correctly. But that chicken. God. The thing was vicious. So he supposed that that made the two ranting, raving, extremely pissed girls about even. Not that he'd ever admit to comparing the two.

"How do you think I felt when I was a lass? We had our faces painted white, every day!" Link suppressed a snicker, it was nice to have Impa beat up on Zelda, it reminded him of when Malon would sit there and scold the chicken.

But it was way more amusing. What better entertainment than an eccentric, icy, hot tempered, blonde haired, and most importantly- HUMAN, know it all princess getting beat up by a crazy old nursemaid?

Nothing. Tch. Duh.

But Link began to panic as the wooden door swung open and a red- with white flecks of paint- faced Zelda came out into the hall. Perhaps he'd better go through his comparisons again, because the murderous looking Zelda was far more terrifying than the warrior-messenger chicken.

He turned and attempted to make a run for it, but he knew that he really didn't have a chance of survival when he heard Zelda's war cry.

"_DIIEE at the hand of my fork! AIEIEIEII!_"

"SHIT!"

Link panicked and went running down the corridors, knocking several servants over in his haste. Zelda was hot on his trail, a fork in her hand and her hair flying out in every which way.

The chase seemed to go on for hours, a green blur would rush by screaming, followed closely by a mass of wavy blonde hair and a gleaming silver object- which most assumed was a knife.

With that assumption in mind the hallways were empty, save for the blurs of green and blonde that would occasionally rush by. So much for a job well done.

* * *

Later that afternoon Zelda and Link found themselves engaged in a game of chess. Link was missing quite a few pieces, yet he stubbornly pursued Zelda's evasive queen. He'd never admit it, but he was having a really hard time competing with Zelda. Hell, if this was her chess-face, he didn't even want to think about her poker-face. 

"Sir?" Zelda looked up at Link sweetly, batting her long eyelashes. The poor boy didn't stand a chance.

Link gulped, something was up. "Yersh?" He hated the way his voice didn't quite come out properly. Zelda really had to stop blinking like that or it would be his ultimate downfall.

"No." Zelda's fist came down against the table, and she glared daggers at the frightened Link. The spell was broken. He'd almost forgotten how violent this particular princess could be. The first week wasn't so bad, as she tried to control herself and only slapped him a few times.

However, he'd found out the hard way that in week two her self-control was waning severely. And while it was flattering to know that he alone had managed to make such a change in the princess, he'd really rather not be on the receiving end of her temper-tantrums.

"Yes'm, Princess Zelda, your highness, greatness, princessness!" Link blurted, in a futile attempt to spare himself from the divine fury that was Zelda.

"Well. How shall I put this…?" Zelda went back to looking sweet and Malon-esque, twirling a strand of blonde hair around one of her fingers. Link swore that her lips were almost pouting. Not that there was any chance in hell that he was looking at her lips. Nuh-uh. No chance. No way.

"Put what?- Err Princess." Link found himself staring at the demure Zelda in an extremely distracted manner.

"You suck." Her voice returned to its normal icy tone as she snatched his king. "Checkmate, I win."

Link's jaw dropped and he glared at the princess, who now had a smug expression on her face. He could've sworn he'd had his king surrounded. So how come there were toppled pieces and his king was missing?

His shock morphed into a scowl. She'd probably used his momentary distraction to take his pieces. Cheater. Stupid girls and their feminine wiles and pouty-lips that he totally hadn't been staring at.

_Note to self: Zelda acting cute is evil. Scratch that. Zelda is evil._

"You cheated." Link accused, childishly pointing his finger at Zelda.

"Did not. No pointing, my Lord, it is considered rude." Zelda smacked his hand away, and Link hurriedly retracted his offensive digit. He really didn't want his hand to end up broken.

Link sniffed and turned away from Zelda, nursing his sorely wounded ego. In all honesty, where was Malon when you needed her most? Malon never cheated. Stupid princess.

"Whatever." Link huffed.

Zelda arched one of her slender eyebrows and wagged her finger at Link. He'd also found that the more human she became, the more teasing she'd wound up to be. Sometimes it was amusing, charming even, and sometimes it just irritated him to no end.

No doubt he'd been a very influence to the formerly stoic Princess Zelda.

"Whatever- princess." Link corrected, sick of correcting himself. Maybe one of these days she'd become human enough to let him drop all of the fancy titles. He mentally scoffed, that would be the day all hell broke loose.

"So, what's she like?" Zelda asked as she slid a few chess pieces to her side of the board, presumably cleaning up.

"What?" Link stared at her, confused. He really wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about. Her? If she was talking about the chess pieces, she'd definitely lost it.

"Your fiancée… What is she like?" Zelda asked the question once more, lifting up the foldaway chess table to put the part of the set she'd collected back into its rightful resting place.

Link found himself staring at her as if she'd grown two heads. Where had that question come from? How had she even known that he was engaged. She'd cut him off before he'd had a chance to say it hadn't she?

"Malon?" Link asked, still confused.

"Is that her name? Well, yes. Unless you have more than one fiancée, good sir." Zelda snorted slightly, trying for a hard voice and falling miserably short. She shut the lid and reached over, sweeping up what few pieces Link had managed to collect and keep in the duration of their game.

"She's… simple. Sweet girl… She has this amazing red hair, like fire, and she does the weirdest things…" Link began. Zelda continued her clean-up feigning indifference, though her eyes remained on Link.

"She yells at chickens and chases farm animals. She always finds the oddest things to worry about too… Malon always speaks her mind and she has this kind of country girl charm." Link grinned as he recalled the redhead, a million memories- mostly revolving around chickens-running rampant through his mind. "I can't really explain it. She's just great."

"Do you care about this… Malon?" Zelda's voice had lost its ice, replaced by a sort of curiosity as she once more lifted the board up and shut it, the table now completely cleared.

"Care about her? Of course, I love her. I don't know what I'd do without- why are you asking me this?" Link looked over at Zelda who had averted her gaze to the ground. Funny how he hadn't noticed it was odd until just then. Was this another one of her tests?

"I'm... not quite sure." Zelda's turned from Link, finding sudden interest in the fountain. "I'm sorry."

Had he done something wrong? Oh hell, it probably was another one of her tests.

"For what?" Link asked, his voice laced with confusion as Zelda briefly ran a hand over her face, still not looking at him.

Zelda remained turned away from him, but it was impossible to miss the watery gleam in her eyes. "I- I'm just sorry."

"Why? Princess? Are you… okay?"

What the hell?

"You've been taken away from her." Zelda's voice shook, and it was only then that Link realized just how human Zelda was. There was no question about it. This was no result of his presence, this was just the girl behind the façade. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have done called you here if I had known. I'd have waited. I honestly would have."

The guilt was overwhelming. Link had someone he loved, someone he cared about. Someone who cared about him in return. And he had been taken away from her. Who knew when he would be returning?

"It's fine, Princess. I don't mind." Link said awkwardly, trying to search for the words that would stop Zelda's onslaught of tears.

"No. No it's not, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry…"

Link had no idea what piece of news had pushed Zelda to ask that question. And he had no idea why she was reacting the way she was, but he felt bad seeing her in her current state.

And then Link's world turned upside down in matter of seconds. Unconsciously he'd moved closer to the crying blonde to offer her some comfort. And when Link blinked and looked down he found himself holding Zelda against him, her tears wetting his shirt.

Funny how he hadn't noticed it before. She was stunning. Beautiful. And just like Malon.

"Oh goddesses, no… I'm sorry, Link." Zelda shook her head and attempted to clear her tears as she pushed herself out of his awkward hug. And as soon as Zelda pulled away and vanished back into the cold castle halls Link noticed something else.

He noticed that his pulse was rushing and his heart was beating like he'd run a marathon with Stalfos chasing him.

"D-Did she call me Link?"

* * *

Dinner that evening was eaten in awkward silence. Zelda picked at her food with a fork, managing to complete one lettuce leaf in the record time of two hours. And Impa sat in a state of bewilderment. 

Where was the fighting?

Where were Link's country bumpkin manners?

Impa finally banged her frying pan on Zelda's head- hard- which earned her a small shriek and then the Zelda she was used to came back.

"What are you doing? You stupid idiot of a king! Stop drinking with your knife!" Zelda scolded, waving her fork menacingly at Link's face.

"I was prodding the water, not drinking!" Link defended.

Zelda glared at him before he realized his error.

"Err- princess." Link corrected. Zelda's fist came down upon the table. He winced. He'd nearly forgotten about her temper for the umpteenth time that day.

"That's Zelda to you." She corrected, her voice stern as she waved her fork at him.

But even still, Link couldn't resist a grin and Zelda managed a small smile, then all returned to normal with Impa banging them both on the head for putting their knives in their shoes.

As the two retreated to their separate rooms for the night, Impa scratched her head in confusion.

"Since when were they on a first-name basis?"

* * *

**A/N:** Ack. I tried to resist the urge, I really did. And I'm sorry if I butchered Zelda and made that turnaround scene too fast. I've gone back and retouched it, so it should be smoother now, I think. The title is going to start coming into play pretty soon. And yeah, Zelda has a reason for crying. Two actually. 

Cappucinno

P.S. Your reviews are my inspiration.


	4. The End of the Beginning

**War of a Moment, Love of a Lifetime**

Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not, and will never own the characters or the company of the Zelda series.

* * *

It wasn't long before Link discovered exactly why Zelda had been acting so strangely. And not in an altogether pleasant manner. 

With a small sigh he strode down the elegantly carpeted hallway, eyes on the ground with a certain rambling blonde beside him. Week three. No only was Zelda capable of ranting, raving, and raising all around Hell for him, but not she had just gained the ability to talk his ear off.

"-and then I was all like, no way, you give me my chocolate now or die! And then she went-"

Link did his best not to hold in another sigh. Honestly, he really couldn't take much more of this. He would've much preferred the stoic Princess from three weeks back. Or even Malon's stupid chicken. Thie rambling Zelda was almost too much to bear. Especially sicne she was rambling about _nothing_. At least two weeks ago when Zelda would talk or ramble itw ould actually about something signifigant. But nooo, now this new Zelda had nothing better to do than stand around and ramble about _chocolate_ of all things.

"-and hey do you like chocolate? Cause I like chocolate. And damn it I really want chocolate!"

"Zelda…" He attempted to interject. And at least two weeks ago she'd awknowledge what he was trying to say. Even react violently sometimes. But now? Nope. No chance. No way. Because not even him being rude was enough to shake her mind off of its chocolate fixation.

"You really shouldn't use bad language. I'm allowed to use bad language, well no, I'm not. But I'm allowed to use bad language in the company of my fri-"

"Zelda." Ignored. Again.

"And we're friends right? I've never had a friend before. God I want chocolate so badly…"

"Zelda." He said, a little annoyed that she still managed to block him out. Really, even Malon wasn't this bad. In fact, he would've much rather be talking to Malon than to Zelda at that current moment. Last weeks theory on the two practically being the same was turning out to be an extremely half-baked theory. Malon wouldn't rant about chocolate. Or at least, not like this.

"Chocolate milkshakes are the best. Oh Nayru, I would totally kill for a-"

She was silenced by firm hands on her shoulders and he looked up at an extremely unamused Link. He fixed her with a pointed look that she was sure as hell he'd gotten from Impa.

"Shut up." He said, as gently as possible, relinquishing Zelda from his grasp.

The blonde girl sobered up at that and the two walked down the hall in silence, broken up only by Link's dramatic sighs. From nonstop rambling to complete silence. Was there no happy medium with this girl?

"Sorry." Zelda apologized after long sigh #3. "It's just that-"

"You have a craving for chocolate. I know."

And that was how Link learned self-restraint. And that when it was that time of the month, even princesses wanted their respective chocolate fixes.

* * *

Some odd hours later found Link sitting in the library, a book propped open on his lap that made absolutely no sense to him at all. And he had no idea why he supposed to be reading it either. The Military History of Hyrule. Sure, it was nice to know, and he supposed he'd be discussing some military plans in his hopefully-short rule, but weren't there more important things to be learning? 

He shook his head free of those and forced himself to continue reading. Hyrule's military exploits were quite impressive, though he was beggining to notice that were a great many gaps in each recollection of war. Typically in the end they would just skip over an entire event.

It was weird.

After reaching the umpteenth one of these points he jerked up in frustration, causing Impa to look at him with one eyebrow raised.

"This doesn't make any sense!" He exclaimed, waving vaguely at the tome on his lap.

"Oh?" Though Impa was Zelda's nursemaid, and a nutty one at that, she was also commander of Hyrule's military forces. Well, actually he sort of was technically… but that wasn't the point.

"It just skips past an entire battle. How the hell did this Ganonpork guy just vanish? It doesn't make any sense at all!"

Impa smiled briefly in amusement at Link's plight as she slouched back against the couch, snapping the book shut and throwing it none-too-carefully at the table in front of him.

"That would be where the Hero of Time comes in."

"So what, this one guy just goes all: I-have-courage-RAWR and kills him?"

"Pretty much."

"GAH! That doesn't make any sense." Link buried his face in the pillow to muffle a rather childish shriek and Impa couldn't help but let that smile on her face widen.

He was really a naïve boy.

The smile faltered. Why had King Harkinian chosen to entrust Hyrule to this simple farm-boy? Yes, he bore the name of the Hero of Time, but that wasn't quite enough to go on. She sighed resolutely as she watched the boy effectively abuse the couch.

She'd just have to have a little faith in their old king. There had to be some sort of reason behind the madness.

Upsetting the rightful line of succession was a risky thing to do, and giving the throne to someone with the experience was downright dangerous.

Her eyes darkened slightly. Especially with the situation they were currently in.

"Sir."

Link lifted his head from the pillow to look at the imposing pan-wielding woman opposite him.

"Your coronation takes place tomorrow. I trust you will be prepared by then."

"Bu-wha-huh? Tomorrow?" He was sitting up straight now.

"Yes. Tomorrow."

"Butbutbut-"

"No buts. You will need to deliver a speech to the Council, and you presence will be require in Castletown to show Hyrule the face of their new ruler."

"But- that's too soon!"

"Nonsense. Do not fear. Zelda will be accompanying you."

At Link's alarmed face Impa couldn't help but add. "Don't worry, she'll probably call for a few chocolate breaks, so you should have nothing to worry about. Besides, she'll be making the speech in the forum."

And with that, Link was left alone in the library to completely stress out over the next day.

* * *

A soft rapping at the door awoke Link one the following day. He groaned as his eyes cracked open and shielded himself from the golden morning light with his hand. 

The rapping didn't stop.

The King scowled darkly as the irritating noise grew louder and finally managed to summon his energy. He swung his legs off the edge of the bed and all but stormed over to the door, dragging a good amount of the blankets along with him.

His hand landed on the brass knob and he jerked the door open, nearly slamming it into the wall. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?"

He was greeted with the collected face of Impa, who coolly raised an eyebrow at him and raised the frying pan. "Excuse me?"

Link sighed in frustration and hung his head for a brief moment. "Impa?"

"You're late."

Link blinked once, confusion obvious in his cobalt eyes. "Huh?"

"Downstairs." And with that Impa reached in and shut the door on Link's face. It took him approximately half of a second to decipher and register what she'd just said.

His eyes went wide as he scrambled for the closet. "Shit!"

Impa leaned outside the door, lips curving into a smirk as a string of decidedly improper words came flying from the temporary-King's mouth. With a sugary little shrug she made her way downstairs.

The meeting started in an hour.

Poor thing.

* * *

Zelda lowered herself onto the velvet cushions of her mother's throne, cyan eyes levelly regarding the currently-empty room. Her eyes slid shut for a short moment as she drew in a deep breath, hands grasping the golden arms on either side of her. 

It was supposed to be her day. Her coronation. She was supposed to be sitting in the throne at her right. The throne of the rightful ruler of Hyrule. And instead she sat in her mother's throne. A throne which no princess who bore the name Zelda had ever been forced to sit in before.

A bittersweet smile played at her lips and she lowered her gaze to the magnificent red carpet stretched out beneath her feet. Soon all of the audience chamber around her would be filled with important ambassadors from all of over Hyrule, and representatives of the Gerudo, Goron, and Zora.

Quite an important bunch of people.

She allowed a small sigh to escape her as she allowed her back to rest on the impressive gold backing of the secondary throne. And her eyes slid shut once more, hands clasped in brief prayer.

"Din, Farore, Nayru…" Her voice was small in the large room, and her whispers were scarcely audible to a boy who stood on the balcony just above her. "Please grant Hyrule the strength it needs to make it through this endeavor upon which we are to embark."

Link had half a mind to speak up in offense. It wasn't that bad to have him as a ruler was it? He held back an indignant snort remniscient of the blonde princess herself.

Brat.

Just because he was royal didn't mean he wasn't capable of ruling briefly. He'd been given good instruction after all. A sort of Royal Politics 101 crash course. He felt pretty confident he could handle himself.

Even if he was scared out of his wits. He was never much of a public speaker.

His mouth was open to make some retort, but Zelda's soft voice continued on and he shut his mouth.

"This country is my home, and it has served me well for all these years. Please, give me the wisdom to guide my country." There was another pause in the prayer, but Zelda went on, amending slightly. "And please watch over our King, and grant him the strength to make it through this day."

Link couldn't help the childish smile that grew on his face at her amendment.

"Goddesses, please answer my prayers."

And her blue eyes flickered open, hands still clasped in front of her. She lowered them shakily onto her lap and took a deep steadying breath as the golden doors swung open.

Impa bowed curtly. "Princess Zelda." Her eyes traveled to the balcony and she inclined her head in stiff greeting. "King Link."

She didn't miss the way Zelda jerked in surprise, but to the princess's credit, she resisted the temptation of losing composure and scolding the king.

"I trust you are both ready for the court?"

The two blondes nodded and Impa smiled. "Good."

And she exited the room.

Link made his way down the small staircase that lead him onto the side of the grand audience chamber and he took his seat next to Zelda, grinning down at her from his larger throne.

He was met with stone-faced silence. And then the tiniest of smiles.

"Don't screw up."

He did his best not to.

* * *

"Link Kokiri, do you solemnly swear to adhere to the laws of Hyrule and rule with fairness and honesty?" 

"Yes." The boy actually managed to look solemn.

"Do you swear to act only in the best interest of Hyrule?"

"I do." What was this, a wedding ceremony?

"Do you swear to withhold personal judgment and guide the people of Hyrule with your own hands? Do you swear to protect and serve Hyrule with your life?"

"I do so swear."

Link was kneeling on the floor before Minister Rauru and each of his soldiers were tapped briefly with an intricately designed sword. It was magnificent actually. Its handle was golden and heavily embellished with jewels of every kind.

Though he couldn't honestly say he wasn't nervous as hell about a sword being that close to his face.

"You knelt before us a simple country-boy, now rise as King Link Kokiri of Hyrule."

Link rose, his face set with determination as he turned to face the filled up room.

For a minute his mouth was dry and he was rendered completely incapable of speaking. However he heard muffled footsteps and a gloved hand was placed gently on his shoulder, subtly indicating that he be seated.

He was nearly upset by this. Was he not a King now?

Did he not yet deserve enough respect to address the ambassadors of Hyrule? Honestly, he'd been put through a rigorous two weeks, and he couldn't even get the payoff.

However a single glance from Zelda stopped his train of thought completely and she lifted her hand from his shoulder as she stepped forward into the center of the room.

Link could do nothing but sit back down in a dumbfounded manner.

"Ambassadors." Zelda greeted, nodding in respect at the audience before her. She took a steadying breath, and Link couldn't help but gaze in awe at how collected she was in front of this group of dignitaries. It wasn't natural.

Yet she made it look just that.

Her movements were filled with a liquid grace as she addressed the room, turning to face certain parts of the chamber as she spoke, the silk material of her gown swishing slightly as she moved.

"I express my deep happiness at the fact that a new ruler has been found to replace one so great as my father. And I rejoice at the new unity of Hyrule,"

As she turned back to the Link he almost gave a start at the look in her eyes. For a moment he could detect… malice. But she offered him a quick friendly smile as she turned back around.

"I know that our new King will serve us well and it is my intention to guide him as," Her voice very nearly cracked. "a royal advisor. These following months will certainly not be easy on us."

She chuckled slightly to alleviate the tension in the room and was greeted with polite laughter.

Link was kind of pissed about that.

"I humbly request your aid." Only now did she turned briefly back to Link, and then in a full circle around the room. "It is my deepest regret to inform you that,"

Link scowled slightly, fists clenching. Was she still talking about him being King? She better not be. Really, he'd gotten the message loud and clear: I think you're a royal screwup. Point made. Affirmed. Understood. Couldn't she just let go of it? He reached for the goblet on the edge of his throne, taking a sip of the complimentary wine placed there to soothe his tension.

"Hyrule has entered a state of war."

The goblet shattered.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh my god. I am so terribly sorry for that miserably long waiting time. What was that, a year? I hope it wasn't any more than that. My deepest apologies. Most of this chapter has been written for the longest time, but I completely forgot to come back and finish it up and upload it. I'm really sorry my dear readers. Honestly I am. I feel so retarded right now. 

As an apology I've gone through and reworked the previous chapters. I've nearly re-written the entire last chapter. Again, I'm sorry. Please, forgive me.

I've also written up a few one-shots that will be popping up shortly, so please don't be too mad at me.

Cappucinno


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